Generally, there are a variety of configurations of snowmobiles available for applications such as deep snow, high performance, luxury touring, trail riding, etc. Most snowmobiles include a frame, a motor, a pair of front skis, and an endless belt assembly. Typically, features such as engine displacement and track length vary depending upon the specific application for which the snowmobile is targeted. For example, snowmobiles designed primarily for deep snow application may include an endless belt assembly having a longer track length, i.e. 166 inches, than a snowmobile designed primarily for trail riding, i.e. 135 inches. A snowmobile designed for deep snow may also include a relatively large displacement engine, i.e. 900 cc3, to provide suitable power when operating in a mountain environment at higher elevations with less oxygen. Other features of a deep snow snowmobile may be added to improve ride and handling characteristics such as side hilling.
One illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes a snowmobile comprising a frame, a motor supported by the frame, an endless belt assembly supported by the frame, a pair of steering spindle operably coupled to the frame, and a pair of front skis operably coupled to the steering spindle, each of the front skis including upper and lower surfaces, the lower surfaces including a runner, the upper surfaces including a plurality of projections adapted to provide traction to an operator.
Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes a snowmobile comprising a frame, a motor supported by the frame, an endless belt assembly supported by the frame, a pair of steering arms operably coupled to the frame, and a pair of front skis operably coupled to the steering arms, each of the front skis including front and rear ends and inner and outer edges, the outer edge of the rear end of each ski including a notch.
Yet another illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes a snowmobile comprising a frame, a motor supported by the frame, an endless belt assembly supported by the frame, a pair of steering arms operably coupled to the frame, and a pair of front skis operably coupled to the steering arms, each of the front skis including front and rear ends and inner and outer edges, the inner and outer edge of the rear end of each ski including a notch.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a snowmobile comprising a frame assembly including a steering hoop structure and a tunnel, the tunnel including a center plate and first and second side panels, the steering hoop structure coupled to the first and second side panels and extending above the tunnel, the first and second side panels each including a running board supported by the steering hoop structure, the steering hoop structure including a toe clip positioned adjacent to each of the running boards, a steering assembly supported by the steering hoop structure, a motor supported by the frame, and an endless belt assembly supported by the frame.
The above mentioned and other features of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention.